A new job club is helping unemployed people to improve their skills and work towards employment.
The Coalfields Regeneration Trust holds the weekly job club at Horden Hub House, near Peterlee, on Thursdays from 1pm to 3pm.
The charity recently received almost £1000 from County Durham-based housing association believe housing to buy laptops and a printer.
And within weeks the support was making a difference, with several jobseekers landing interviews and even work through the club.
Paula Snowdon, North East Regional Development Manager for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, said: “We are delighted with the new laptops and would like to thank our partners at believe housing for this wonderful and generous grant.
“We already know it is making a real difference to people’s lives with several clients having interviews and in some cases getting new jobs because of the help from the job club and the use of the laptops.”
The Trust applied to believe housing for a Small Community Grant towards equipment, after taking over the Horden Hub House from East Durham Trust.
As well as donating funds to the initiative, believe housing offers support to the club from its employability team whose advisors regularly attend sessions to help people with job searches, application forms and writing CVs and covering letters.
Damian Pearson, Community Investment Performance Team Leader at believe housing, said: “We’re proud to be supporting this new job club which will help tackle low skills, unemployment and social isolation in Horden and the surrounding area.
“At believe housing, we aim to deliver life without barriers through a range of innovative support for customers and communities.
“So, it is wonderful to hear that this initiative is already helping people to secure interviews and even jobs.”
For more information about the Horden Hub House job club visit the @hordenhubhouse Facebook page or call Paula Snowdon on 07706 340 227.
And for more about believe housing’s employability service call 0300 1311 999, email employability@believehousing.co.uk or visit the believe housing website.
